Pottery article.



No. 65 L474. Patented m 24, I900.

-H. c. MERCER;

POTTERY ARTICLE. (Application filed Feb. 8, 1900.)-

(No Model.)

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POTTERY ARTICLE.

isPnoIFIcArIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,474, dated July 2e, ieoo. Application filed February 8, 1900. Serial No. 4,554 (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HENRY O. MERCER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Doyles town, in the county of Bucks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new anduseful Improvementsin Pottery Articles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pottery, and more particularly to those mural tileswhich have raised portions or portions in rilievo.

Broadly stated, it consists in a pottery article such, as a mural tile, composed of a clay base provided with a design having raised and ground portions, an inner layer of slip arranged over the design, and an outer layer of slip of different color from the inner layer arranged over said inner layer, the outer or second layer of slip being removed from the raised portions of the design, so as to expose the inner or first layer on said raised portions.

It also consists in certain modifications and will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a face View of a mural tile embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Figs. 3 and dare enlarged detail sections of portions of tiles embodying modifications of my invention.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, A is a base, of a common red brick or other clay, which is provided with a suitable design made up of a raised portion a and a ground portion Z).

B is a layer of clay cream or slip applied to the face of the base, the said slip being by preference thick and sticky and calculated to become very hard when dry.

0 is a thin layer of slip which is of a color or calculated to produce a color contrasting with that of the slip B and is also of a mealy character. p

The tile is made after the process forming the subject-matter of my Letters Patent No. 644,530 of February 27, 1900, which process I carry out as follows: I first produce a design made up of the raised portion Ct and the ground or depressed portion 1) on the face of the base by any of the modes well known in the art and entirely cover the said face with a layer B of clay cream or slip and permit the latter to dry. When the layer of clay cream or slip B is dry, the slip C is poured. over or otherwise suitably applied to said layer B and permitted to dry. I then rub the slip 0 off the raised portion a of the design to a greater or less extent, according to the clear mess with which it'is desired to have the clay cream or slip B on said raised portion stand out, with a piece of chamois skin or other material suitable to the purpose. W'ith this done heat is applied to the tiletha't is, the same is baked or fired in the manner well known in the art -when by virtue of the slip 0 having been wiped or rubbed off the raised portion a of the design said raised portion will contrast with the ground portion Z).

I prefer to have the clay cream or slip B white or light in color and the slip O of a dark color, or calculated to produce a dark color, because when the slip C is wiped off the raised portion of the design said-raised portion is made very prominent.

I prefer to apply the layer of slip C to the layer of slip B prior to the burning of the tile, but do not desire to be understood as confining myself to the same, as said layer of slip 0 might be applied subsequent to the burning or firing of the tile and after drying might be rubbed off the raised portion of the design in the manner before described. I also desire it understood that I do not confine myself to rubbing the slip 0 off the raised portions of the design. Under some conditions it might be scraped off with the longitudinal edge of a piece of Wood or other material or with .a brush having very short bristles, the principle being always the same -viz., quickly skimming across the raised portions of the design and leaving the depressed portions untouched.

When the slip B is thick and sticky and calculated to become very hard when dry and the slip O is thin and of a mealy character, the wiping, rubbing, or scraping of the said slip C from the raised portion of the design and the exposition of the white or light-colored slip B on said raised portion may beexpedit-iously accomplished.

The face of the tile is preferably glazed, as usual; but I do not desire to be understood as confining myself to the same, as the article produced in accordance with my invention is complete without such step.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that my improved tile may be produced very cheaply,inasmuch as the base A may be formed of low-grade clay-red-brick clay, for instance-and it is only necessary to employ enough of the comparativelyexpensive cream clay or slip B to cover the face of the base and enough of the color or color-producing slip C to produce the desired color effect.

In the tile shown in Figs. 1 and 2 both the ground I) and raised portion a of the design are smooth and the layer of slip B is of an even thickness throughout, with the result that the color of the base A, which is red in this instance, is prevented from showing through the inner layer B of white or lightcolored slip. If, however, the slip B on the raised portion a of the design be rubbed with sandpaper or other abrasive material or scraped to a greater or less extent, the color of the base A will tint the slip B on said raised portion a, and thereby enhance the beauty of the tile.

In Fig. 3 is shown a tile in which the base A is provided on its face with a design made up of a raised portion a and a rough ground portion b. When the layer B, of cream clay or slip, made thin for the purpose, is applied to the said face of the base, but little, if any,

of the same will remain on the ends of the protuberances of the rough ground portion of the design, and hence when the slip G is subsequently applied to the layer B, with the same result as in case of layer B, and rubbed off the raised portion a and the protuberances of the rough ground portion 11, the base A, which is red in this instance, will be more or less exposed at various points and a flocked or stippled and very beautiful effect produced. In this instance both slips act the same, although B, being thicker, shows it much less than 0. Both tend to collect in the minor hollows of the rough general surface and enhance the stippled effect, which is not seen where the general surface is smooth.

When it is desired to expose the base A at various points on the raised portion of the design, the same may be accomplished by rubbing or scraping more or less of the layer ofslip B off said raised portion at the points desired or by making said raised portion rough, as indicated by a in Fig. 4, in which latter case but little, if any, of the layer of slip B will be deposited on the extremities of the protuberances, and when the layer of slip O is rubbed or scraped off the raised portion and the protuberances of the design the base A will be exposed at points in the manner and for the purpose before described. This effect is also produced by making the .slip B thin, which renders it more apt to run off the high parts, leaving but a thin film there, and enables the body to burn through and tinge it. To hold its color over the more fusible body below it, the slip B should be about as thick as thin molasses. If it is made of the consistency of poor cream, the bodycolor burns through, particularly on the high parts.

In the tilesdisclosed in Figs. 3 and 4 it will be observed that decoration is effected with three colors with no more labor and expense than when two colors are exposed. It will also be observed that the fiecked or stippled effect is produced by the rubbing or scraping of the layer of slip G from portions of the design, which operation is rendered easy by the irregular and rough impression on the clay base; The collection of the colored or colorproducing slip in the depressions of the de sign and its removal from the numerous raised portions thereof results in an antique effect which greatly enriches the vividness and charm of the coloring of the tile. Such disposition of the color or color-producing slip is also advantageous, because it is different in each tile, thus avoiding flatness and sameness or monotony in a large surface of mural tiles.

In all of the embodiments of my invention where the two layers of slip B C are employed toning or variation inshade maybe obtained by harder or lighter rubbing, scraping, or re moving of the layers to reduce the thickness of layer B or by rubbing when the color or color-producing layer 0 is not quite dry and is consequently adapted to mix with the layer of slip B and tint the latter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. The pottery article described comprising a clay base provided with a design made up of raised and ground portions, a layer of slip arranged over the design, and a second layer of slip of different color from the first layer arranged over said first layer in the ground portion, alone, of the design, whereby the first layer is exposed on the raised portion of the design.

2. The pottery article described comprising a clay base provided with a design made up of raised and ground portions, a layer of hard, close-grain slip contrasting in color to the base and arranged over the design thereof, and a second layer of slip of different color from the first and of looser and more friable nature arranged over said first layer in the ground portion alone of the-design, whereby the first layer is exposed on the raised portion of the design.

3. The pottery article described comprising a clay base provided with a design made up of raised and ground portions, a layer of slip contrasting in color to the base and covering the ground portion and partly covering the raised portion of the design thereof, and a second layer of slip of different color from the first layer arranged over the first layer in the ground portion alone of the design.

4.. The pottery article described comprising a clay base provided with a design made up of raised and ground portions, a layer of hard,

close-grain slip contrasting in color to the base covering the ground portion and partly covering the raised portion of the design thereof, and a second layer of slip of dififerent color from the first and of looser and more friable nature arranged over said first layer in the ground portion alone of the design.

5. The pottery article described comprising a clay base provided With a face having a rough portion, a layer of slip contrasting in I color to the base and covering the face thereof,

and a second layer of slip, of different color from the first layer, arranged over said first layer in the depressions alone of the rough portion of the face, whereby the first layer is exposed on the protuberances of said rough portion.

6. The pottery article described comprising a clay base provided with a design made up of raised and ground portions, one of which has again a rough or irregular face, a layer of slip contrasting in color to the base and arranged over the design, and a second layer of slip of different color from the first layer arranged over said first layer in the ground portion and the depressions of the rough or irregular portion, alone, of the design.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY C. MERGER.

Witnessesz WM. STUCKERT, JOHN YARDLEY. 

